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The "Firefly" TV series is one of a select few pieces of media that I rented first, and had to own later. When I was in high school, I ordered the series through Netflix, one disc at a time, and watched all the episodes on a disc in one sitting before immediately sending away for the next one. Sometimes, it takes me several episodes of a series to decide I like it; but I was hooked on "Firefly" after 20 minutes.
Alas, I knew my enjoyment would be short-lived, due to "Firefly" being cancelled by Fox after only 14 episodes. As I watched the DVD's, I dreaded the inevitable last moment of the final episode, when there would be nothing more to see. And when that moment came, I was honestly very sad.
So, of course, I had to have the series to own, to experience over and over again at my leisure. There was no alternative. I had become a dyed-in-the-wool "Browncoat," and nothing would ever take that away from me. Unfortunately, being a high school student with no gainful income to speak of, the $30 cost of the box set was out of my reach. Luckily, I received it as a Christmas present several months later, and all was right with the world.
Then, in 2005, a friend of my college-freshman-self told me there was a movie trailer that I "absolutely had to see." I walked to the computer, saw the word "Serenity" scrawled across the screen, and my jaw hit the floor.
A "Firefly" MOVIE!? Eposode 14 isn't the end? Am I dreaming??
Luckily, no, I wasn't.
I saw "Serenity" as soon as it came out; and to this day, it remains one of my favorite movies of all time. Though I own it on DVD, I've yet to pick it up on Blu-Ray, which still bothers me constantly; but I'll get it someday, I assure you.
I can only denounce "Serenity" for one reason; and it has nothing to do with the film itself, but rather, the hope it gave me. Even before the movie was released, there were rumors about sequels and/or more TV episodes. I tried not to get excited, but I couldn't help it. This was a franchise that, despite it's short life, was so expertly crafted and executed, that I was very emotionally connected to it (as are all Browncoats). I wanted so badly for the saga of "Firefly" to continue, at least in some form. But here we are, eight years later, without so much as a passing phrase about anything new.
That is, until those words on Facebook caught my eye last week.
At San Diego Comic-Con, developers released a very short teaser for an upcoming MMO game set in the "Firefly" universe. Simply titled "Firefly Online," the trailer boasts a few seconds of imagery and music that would make any fan giddy. And that's exactly how I felt when I watched it: giddy.
But after looking into it further, I found that the game is only going to be released on mobile devices, at least at first. Now, I understand the appeal of that concept on paper. When you have a vast game set in such a popular universe, why not let players constantly stay connected with their smartphones and tablets, right?
But how many people currently play those types of in-depth, time-consuming MMO games exclusively on their phones? To me, mobile gaming is about easy, simple, and instant fun; not about hunkering down and questing for hours. Battery life alone would be a huge issue!
Although, maybe "Firefly Online" isn't going to be that type of game. Maybe we'll just select ships and crews from drop-down menus and send them out on automated jobs that we check back on later. I really, really hope there's more to it than that, but it's a possibility nonetheless.
I guess my bottom line is this: they better not screw this up. Making a game from a franchise with a devoted following is already risky enough; but add in the fact that Fox has broken the Browncoats' hearts at least once already, and that puts all parties involved on very shaky ground.
Right now, I guess I'll just try to stay optimistic. After all, something is better than nothing, right?
Here's the teaser. What do you think?
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